Adventures in Wolfhounds

Chapter 4

 The Adventures of Willow and McDugan

by Colette J Griffin

Wolfhounds in our future

  Ok now we have covered finding the right breeder and purchasing your puppy. Well as you know we purchased two very lovely Irish wolfhound puppies, our girl is Painted hounds, Griffin Willow, and our boy is Painted hounds, Griffin McDugan, call names, Willow and Dugan.

 Our breeder lives in Northern Utah and we live in Central California neither of us wanted to put the precious babies on a plane so we agreed to meet half way when they were ready to be picked up.  The excitement filled the air and our lives as the days drew nearer, as we went about our daily lives planning our trip and puppy proofing our home. I turned to our IW social net work, for some good advice from the big guys, people who have owned, bred, and showed this giant breed for years. They were all too helpful.

 Here are some of the recommendations I was given to ready ourselves for the arrival; extra large jumbo crates, several very tall sturdy baby gates, about 200 lbs of dog food for the first week, get to know, on a first name basis, the good people at our local home improvement store, call the cable company and put extra wires and remotes aside, call the cell phone store and order extra cell phones. Best of all put a new extra large sofa on order just in case. OMG! Ok I have seen a few damages from these dogs but all this has me to wonder, what are they T- rex’s or dogs…….. and that’s not all, I will need to go shoe shopping for at lease 6 new pairs, buy new eye glasses minimum 3, and lots of paper towels, steel dog dishes, jumbo water pails, a case of aspirin for headaches, and a first aid kit. All this to be done before they get here! I’m assuming the aspirin are for me!

Willow 7 weeks

   Our breeder agreed to meet us, about half way in Nevada.  Now I have to tell you, I love my IW network of friends, but after the last question, I was a bit hesitant to ask about what I should bring for the trip, but you know me! Enquiry minds have got to know! So I took my chance and asked the question of what should we be prepared for?  I just had to ask, I was told be sure to pack paper towels, leashes, paper towels, collars, paper towels, cleaning supplies, paper towels, crates, paper towels, blankets, towels, paper towels, large and small plastic bags, paper towels, ear plugs, paper towels, kibble, and more paper towels, and if there was room in the car be sure to pack  our clothes for 6 days. 6 sets for over night? And…..You got it PAPER TOWLES!  I was just bringing home 2 little puppies, not an elephant! So I thought……….

  So now that the car is packed with all our supplies and plenty of ……you got it paper towels! Hey you catch on quick J
and we were off to pick up our new wolfies.

 

McDugan 7 weeks

After 7 long hours of travel we get to the meeting place, and meet our new family members, oh they were so adorable! We walked over to say hi and these 12 week old bundles of joy stood up, and OMG, they were the biggest puppies I have ever seen! I mean I knew they were big dogs but you figure a puppy is supposed to be small. They were almost 22” tall and weighed 30 lbs each. OK maybe we were, bringing home elephants after all. Not one but two! So we played with the babies a while and then signed the paper work, mean while puppies are running in every direction, shoes are being carried off dog food dishes clanging, food flying in all directions, and tails smacking you in the face, but this did not detour me, oh no not one bit! I was so in love with these babies that the world seemed to stand still just for me. My heart melted and an instant bonding began.  So Hal and I finished the paperwork, and agreed to pick them up in the morning.  Now most normal people would have packed up and left town never to be seen again, but NOoooooo, we are not normal people, we are wolfie lovers and returned promptly in the morning as planned to pick up our new charges. We took photos of Willow and McDugan, with Tracy our breeder and her lovely daughters and bid them a safe trip loaded the puppies in the crate and we were off.

 

Hal Griffin with Willow and McDugan

The ride home another 8 hours due to stops for breaks for the pups and us went very well. They were such good babies, not one peep, no messes to clean, no need for the paper towels and totally uneventful. We were so happy and the dogs were great, we couldn’t believe how good they were. Never needed the ear plugs, or the aspirin. When we arrived home we fed them light per Tracy’s instruction, walked them and played with them for a bit and put them to bed for the night. Hal and I were very exhausted, and joined them. Thinking they would cry a bit we were prepared for a long night.

Me and my kids

We were so surprised; they actually slept until 5:00 A.M. I am thinking this is a piece of cake, they were the greatest dogs! So at 5:01 A.M.  we quickly stumbled out of bed and led the pups out side to potty, at 5:15 I returned to the house and began the regiment of feeding all our 3 dogs and the 2 new pups. Our guys aren’t very patient and wanted their breakfast, like yesterday, and the pups also hungry joined in. 5:18, all 5 dogs were jumping on me from both sides while I am preparing meals.  I open the bag of puppy chow while 2 hungry wolfhounds are jumping on my head, and Brandy our rat terrier is barking for her food as she always gets fed first. 5:20 I was placing the pups dishes on the floor only to have both of them dive face first in the dish of kibble, knocking it from my hands, food splattering every where, I pulled them away and Willow decided she would get her own and dived into the open bag. Meanwhile McDugan is sprawled on the floor scarffing up what was spilt. In the mean time Hal was trying to get Willow’s head out of the bag and I am trying to help McDugan clean up the mess on the floor. It was a freaking 3 ring circus to say the least! Finally at 5:30 we got things in control, fed the other dogs, and proceeded to give the pups water. 5:31 McDugan promptly jumps in the water dish sending water everywhere, at 5:32 as I bend over to clean up the water, both pups dive bomb me and down I went, right into this large puddle of water with my butt soaking wet, and two puppies licking my face, while Hal just stood there laughing. 5:40 breakfast over, messes cleaned, and not to mention the paper towels came in very handy. And it was time to walk them again. At 5:45 between the two they managed to somehow tie me up, trip me on my butt again, arms, legs, leashes, and fur all flying in the air, with me ending up flat on my back, with both of them sitting on top of me as if to say, Dang that was fun lets do it again! At 5:47 I lay there with a smile on my face, realizing how much I must love my dogs. I managed to take it all in stride shake my self off and get everyone back to the house.  And all this before my first cup of coffee!!!

  You always learn from your mistakes and do things just a little different the next time.  I had forgotten what it was like to live with puppies. It didn’t seem so long ago. These two were a handful, but are now calming down and accepting life as it comes; they are embracing the love that Hal and I have for them and feeling much more secure.  It’s a wolfhound thing if you never had a wolfhound you wouldn’t understand. We finally have our hounds and are committed to a long fun loving life with them. Stick with us and hear more adventures of Willow and McDugan.

 

 And that’s the tail waggin buzz On Doggie talk

 Huggies to my Doggies

 Have a joyous Holiday Season

                Colette

 

Chapter 3 Oh the Joy!

Chapter 3

Oh the Joy!



 

Colette Jordan Griffin
( boggiest and dog lover)
Thank you Tracy for your friendship and fulfilling our dream.

   Well you must know by now we have been looking endlessly for an Irish wolfhound puppy. But not just any puppy will do, oh no, we had to jump in with both feet and get a show puppy. We preferred a male as they are extremely impressive in size usually about 32 to 34 inches tall at the shoulder and extremely stunning in the ring. Brindle or a dark Wheaton, were my preferred colors making the search just a little harder.  It’s amazing how hard it is to find just what you’re looking for, Wolfhounds come in a variety of colors from black to white with many shades and variations in between, including reds, brindles and wheaten.

  

Tracy A Maccarthy with McDugan and Willow

  But first we had to find a breeder, the search was exhausting but with months of persistence, as I don’t give up easily, we settled on one who has become one of our very dear friends, Tracy A Maccarthy, from Utah.  She has been breeding showing and racing Irish wolfhounds for over 20 years. Her love for dogs was very heart warming to say the least, she was so sweet and so polite, very knowledgeable, and such a wonderful lady that I liked her right off.  She was honest with us and told us up front what she expected of her new prospective parents. She didn’t hesitate to show us the puppyfax as I would put it, on her breeding program, and pedigrees. We were able to see both sides of the sire and dam and included the health records of the puppies as well. The paperwork on her dogs was well documented and very informative.

 Tracy is very particular as to who gets her puppies, so after she did a through screening of our home life, characters, and experiences, with animals, she said she may have just what we were looking for. We were thrilled!, our heart will filled with such joy that you can't even imagine it.

 Tracy explained, as with all show prospects no guarantees can be made that it will make it to a champion, and that there are a lot of factors that goes into the mix. This goes without saying, I said: one can only work hard at it and hope for the best. Especially being a new comer to the west coast show circuit.  Good bites, nice angulations and great looking heads can quickly change with the growth of any dog. I worry about my own ability's as we, although I have done very well in the obedience ring, my dogs taking several titles in Canada and the USA, but the breed ring, is a new playing field. I have shown a bit in conformation, but have never titled a champion as of yet. I am hoping my puppies and I will learn and grow together. After all every Champion had to start at the bottom and work their way to the top.

 

Colette and Distance

Showing for us is secondary, we want first a dog that is happy, healthy and has a sweet temperament. A dog we could love and give a forever home to win or lose. The Show part will just have to be what it is, and hope for the best. If he doesn’t make it, oh well wouldn’t be the first time I had to pull a dog off the circuit due to a flaw that produced it’s self at a later date, my last wolfhound, Distance, sadly had to be neutered and didn’t finish his title due to a medical problems beyond anyone’s control, and we loved him until the end.  Not every dog makes it in the ring, that is a fact of life, and for me to go in thinking otherwise would only be a big disappointment later.  But I am, and always will be an optimist, so I will hope for the best and give it my all.  I have met several wonderful breeders and Judges out there and I know any of them will be there with advice and help if needed, because that’s what Wolfhound people do, they are awesome people. they believe in wishing well for everyone who owns a Wolfhound, it's like having an extended family, Tracy too will be with us all the way and we are look forward to a long wonderful friendship with her. 

Oh and by the way, we decided to get two because like potato chips, you can't have just one.

It was pure Lady luck on our part to find Tracy, we just happen to stumble upon a few pictures she had been sharing with mutual friends on our Wolfhound social network.  Like most other wolfhound breeders, Tracy doesn’t advertise in the papers or magazines she usually has a waiting list, or word of mouth, so Lady Luck, Thank you for our breeder and friend, Tracy A Maccarthy, we love you girl! J

McDugan, Willow, and litter mates

 

And that’s the Puppy Buzz on DoggieTalk   

Huggies to my doggies
Colette

chapter 2 in Persuit of a Wolfhound

                                                                       chapter 2

 

The Pursuit of a Wolfhound

 In the process of looking for our new Irish Wolfhound, all I can say is we have certainly done our homework. There are so many breeders that claim their dogs are the best and very few puppies are available. Waiting lists are a mile long and with some politics’ involved it can take some time to get one. So many things that had to be figured into the search, like color, sex, care, feeding, breeding, showing, longevity, and price.

  It seemed every breeder we talked with had similar views and stories about this breed, but price and contracts and waiting lists varied so, that it became frustrating and very confusing, and it also seemed everything bad about this breed was explained first and so abruptly at times, that it would make you want to run for the hills!

 For one, they are sight hounds, very capable of taking off on the slightest movement. Thus a need to be kept in a fenced yard is a must, because when they take off they can become lost, stolen or worse hit by car. But on the other hand, they need room to run and have lots of exercise for those long legs and big bodies. During growth spurts, they shouldn’t be allowed to run and play.  Some say running up and down hills is great and good for muscle development, others say, it can be harmful, and never take them off leash. Never chain them out side, or left to live in an out door kennel because they are house pets, yet they can destroy a home if left unattended in about 3.5 minutes. They eat a ton of food, and not just any dog food, MEAT and lots of it! And when they are done eating that ton of meat, they poop a ton.

 I think we’ll need a bigger scoop.

 They are the KING of the Dog world! Oh and lets not forget medical problems up the yang yang, and certainly not a dog for the first time dog owner or person who is faint at heart.

Good God what are we getting into?  Run, never run, Play, never play, house pets, yet never leave alone in the house, tons of food tons of poop, medical issues; like cancer, bloat, killer pneumonia some only making it to age 4?   Not to mention the average age is only 5-10 years old, OH MY. Do we really want Irish wolfhound?!

  The price was another factor, ranging from $1200 –$3500 US dollars, on the average. That’s a nice chunk of change for a just a dog! And don’t even think about refunds, not happening, unless the dog is defective with in the first year.

photo from Barbora IW

 

  Ahhh but that’s the thing, the Irish wolfhound isn’t just a dog, It is the most wonderful majestic, almost magical creature, capable of special powers that captures the love of every soul who has dared into their world of the unknown. It is by far the tallest breed in the world, and when standing on his hind legs could reach the height of 7 feet tall. The history of this breed goes back farther than the mid evil period, and was used to hunt wolves and elk. Only royalty were allowed to have them and after trying to buy one, I was beginning to think, If only my name was princess Colette of Wales or something of the sort, then perhaps I could actually buy one. I was beginning to think I may never get one.

  You see the one thing all breeders have in common is to protect this breed with their lives and devotion from all puppy mills.  You won’t find one in a pet store, and rarely ever find one in the pound, all responsible breeders require you to return the dog to them if for any reason you can not keep them.  They usually will place them in suitable forever adoptive homes they know and trust.  Most found in Pounds are quickly snatched up by the hard work of the Wolfhound rescuers, for fear they would be killed or re-homed to someone far worse surely sealing his fate.

  The Kennel name means so much to each breeder, as the standard of the breed hasn’t changed for centuries, and keeping the lines pure are the first priority, so if your going to buy one for breeding, forget about it, pups are only sold as pet quality, no breeding rights and for the most part you can’t get final registration papers until the animal is spayed or neutered.  If you are showing your dogs and have hopes of breeding at some point, you have to sign co ownership, and can only reproduce your finished champion with permission of the breeder and his or her approval of the dog you’re breeding to.  I fully understand why people get upset or put off by breeders, because people in general don’t want someone telling them what they can or can not do with their dog especially after paying the price of one. But I have to say I am glad that the Irish Wolfhound Community of Breeders have stood their ground on this matter, because you won’t find one in a pet store, or dog pound, with sad faces in hopes some do-gooder just walking by would impulsively take one only to dump them when they are 180 lbs and 7 feet tall, and totally out of control, only because the impulse buyer was too stupid to do his home work. “This I like a lot.” I have come to learn a lot about this wonderful breed and some really great breeders and show Judges. I have developed a mutual respect and admiration of all them and their dogs. They care about their dogs, they love them with all their heart, and the loss is devastating to all the Wolfhound communities when one of their beloved furry friends crosses the rain bow bridge. So all I have to say is paying my Dues was a very good thing and well worth the wait. I learned so much over the months of research, and I still in spite of all the negative vibes, there is so much more positives to being the proud owner of an Irish Wolfhound.

Photo by http://www.beautyirish.com/

  They are loyal, gentle loving giant creatures that capture your heart and fill your life with love and laughter. They have clown like personalities and are very devoted to their humans. They do well in packs and have hearts as big as they have bodies. They are a dog of nobility and grace, wonderful family guardians, and I now fully understand why Wolfhound owners continue never, to have with just one.

 

My personal opinions are my own. and not meant to offend.
and that's the tail wagging Buzz on Doggie-Talk
Huggies to my Doggies
Colette J Griffin

My life with fury friends

My life with fury friends 

(part 1)  

                                                     

 

 

 

                            

It seems, every step I take in life either has to do with Dogs or Horses both of which are my deepest passions. I have been recently stricken with an illness from my 45 years as a dog groomer, with thoracic outlet syndrome.  It causes sever pain, numbness, and disabling weakness in the right shoulder, arm, and hand. I am working closely with my Doctors to get this under control; the biggest problem is being able to do what I love most, ride horses and groom and have fun with my fury friends.

I’ve been off work for several weeks now and trying to figure out my life, and what to do next. Seems my life would be over if I couldn’t work with animals. I know God has a plan and is going to help me sort things out.

I have been taking full advantage of being off and trying to enjoy life while working through this pain.  In doing so my husband and I took a relaxing drive to an Irish Wolfhound Specialty Dog Show, it was so wonderful to see this magnificent breed in action.  My boy Distance passed away a bit ago and I have been dreaming about getting another one ever since. Never in a million years did I expect the reaction I got from Hal, he was so mesmerized by this breed that he hasn’t stopped talking about it since the show. Well actually neither of us has.

So what’s next, now you well know what’s next? Excuse the punt, but we are on the Hunt for a Hound!  

And that's the buzz on doggie talk.

Huggies to my doggies